Early Childcare Attendance and Cognitive skills in Adolescence / Ingvild Almås, Nina Drange, Costas Meghir, Henrik D. Zachrisson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Almås, Ingvild.

Contributor:

Drange, Nina.

Meghir, Costas.

Zachrisson, Henrik D.

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w35109.

NBER working paper series no. w35109

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2026.

Summary:

This paper examines the impact of early childcare on academic achievement for children in grade 5 and grade 9, based on a 2003 policy expansion that created quasi-random variation in slot availability for children aged 1-2. Starting childcare one year earlier increases math scores by 9.7% of a standard deviation (SD) in grade 9. Children whose mothers do not hold a high school diploma benefit by a significant 28% of a SD at grade 9, reducing the math achievement gap from children of higher-educated mothers by about one third. We also present evidence of strong improvements for children of immigrants.

Notes:

April 2026.

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